R.E.M. Tour W/The National & Modest Mouse
It’s funny to see the comments around the blog scene about R.E.M, and how many people feel the need to express that they think R.E.M sucks. I know that they haven’t put out a record in years that can rival their early work, but that’s what happens when great bands get older. The important thing to remember is how much of an impact they made on the music scene in their day, and how groundbreaking they were then. They still rock the shit live, and I for one, will still honor their contributions to the modern music scene that we all enjoy today.
Enough of that. R.E.M have selected some pretty sweet touring partners for this short little tour that they have scheduled. The awesome show that The National put on here @ the ACL Festival is still fresh in my memory. I’m hoping to catch a glimpse of the R.E.M. live show here in Austin during SXSW, but it’s going to be tough. Word on the street is that the new record steps back to earlier rockin R.E.M days.
R.E.M, The National, Modest Mouse Tour
May 23 – Vancouver, BC – Deer Lake Park
May 29 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
May 31 – San Francisco, CA – Greek Theatre
June 03 – Denver, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 06 – Chicago, IL – United Center
June 08 – Toronto, ON – Molson Amphitheatre
June 10 – Raleigh, NC – Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
June 11 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 13 – Boston, MA – Tweeter Center
June 14 – Long Island, NY – Jones Beach
June 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center
June 21 – Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre
To those who express their feelings that R.E.M. sucks, I say “Get your ears out of your arse”. Comparing their more recent albums to their early ones? Makes no sense. As a band, they have grown musically and shrunk member-wise (R.I.P.), they have “grown Up” in the faces of people who would rather just hang on to the old days and keep that connection.
Albums like Automatic and Monnter have some amazing songs on them, with much more developed structures than that of,say, Orange Crush. Also, they’re lyrics have become more pointed and I dig Stipe’s voice adjustments.
Overall, it breaks down like this:
R.E.M. is one of the greatest and most influential bands in music. They’ve bridged gaps between genres, they’ve created their own, and through it all, they have tattooed their name and sound right on the face of music.
sorry for the spelling mistakes, I’m typing fast and working on other stuff…and there’s no EDIT button.